Lewis Hamilton's private conversation with Carlos Sainz about Mercedes exit revealed in new footage
Lewis Hamilton's private conversation with Carlos Sainz - who he was set to replace at Ferrari - about leaving Mercedes last season features on the new series of 'Drive to Survive'.
The hit Netflix show premieres Series 7 on Friday, with some of the major flashpoints of the season covered in-depth.
They include Max Verstappen's stunning win at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo's departure from Red Bull and McLaren's successful pursuit of the Constructors' Championship.
There is also, unsurprisingly, a keen focus on Hamilton's final season at Mercedes after it was announced that he would be signing for Ferrari from 2025.
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The Brit has now replaced Sainz, who signed for Williams during the 2024 summer break and will team up with Alex Albon at the Oxfordshire-based team.
Sainz's future was a big talking point in the early stages of the season, and it is also covered in 'Drive to Survive'.
One of the more surprising inclusions in the show is a private conversation between Hamilton and Sainz about the latter's future.
As Sainz weighs up his options to avoid being left without a drive in 2025, he is asked by Hamilton whether he has considered speaking to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who is - at that stage - still looking for the seven-time world champion's replacement.
The Silver Arrows eventually opted to sign Kimi Antonelli and Sainz was reportedly never a major consideration to take the seat. His comments in response to Hamilton appear to prove exactly that.
He said: "I haven't talked to Toto yet. Which makes me feel like, if he really had an interest, he would have called me."
"You don't think Merc will win again?" Sainz asked. "Do you think they are declining?"
Hamilton responded, in reply to the second question: "No, I don't think so."
Hamilton and Sainz top timesheets during F1 2025 testing
Driving for his new Williams team, Sainz recorded the fastest time of any driver during the three days of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain last week.
In behind him in second place was Hamilton, who showcased plenty of encouraging signs for Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season.
His running was curtailed on day three due to a mechanical issue, however, which was one of the few noticeable issues over the course of testing.
It was McLaren, though, who appeared to have the edge on long-run pace. While they didn't exactly light up the timesheets consistently - though Norris was quickest on day one - though pure qualifying pace, they were up to a second a lap quicker than the Ferrari and Mercedes on day three while running race fuel loads.
For Sainz and Williams, they will be hoping to lead the midfield battle which could also feature Alpine, Haas, Aston Martin and RB.
Topics: Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1
Ryan Smart